Are you looking for ways to advance your career, develop your leadership skills and connect with other like-minded individuals in the Coast Guard? Then, the new Coast Guard Mentoring Program is for you!
"We know that access to mentors is important. That’s why we are piloting a new ‘mobile- enabled’ mentoring program to connect mentees and mentors across our entire workforce,” said Coast Guard Commandant Karl Schultz, announcing the program during the 2021 State of the Coast Guard Address.
Launching formally this spring, the easy-to-use web-based program will be open to all Coast Guard active duty, reservist, and civilian personnel interested in mentor or mentee opportunities.
The new program is very different from formal career counseling or informal connections made with your local team. Multiple mentoring options are being offered, and an automated matching process will connect individuals based on career focus, life experiences, and a variety of interest areas that both parties indicate during the enrollment process.
The restructured mentoring program uses state-of-the-art software that you can access via a web browser on the Coast Guard network or on a personal mobile device. More than 100 Coast Guard personnel from across the Service have been beta testing it, and we are excited to share it with you in the coming months.
How are the connections made?
The easy-to-use platform connects mentors and mentees based on career goals, rather than assignment location, allowing for a strong connection outside a member’s unit. In addition, matches are based upon affinities and areas of interest that both parties can indicate during the enrollment process.
How can this help me?
The benefits reach well beyond professional development. Mentoring strengthens inclusion by promoting open communication, collaboration, and interaction across all demographics and specialties. This individual interaction imparts a sense of belonging for people at all levels of our organization.
Mentoring is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. People benefit from different mentoring styles and approaches. The new platform allows employees to customize their mentoring experience depending on their specific needs and goals.
Multiple Mentoring Options
- One-to-one Mentoring - This is a traditional mentoring relationship in which a senior leader educates and guides a junior person. The Coast Guard's one-to-one mentoring track creates a connection between mentees and mentors to foster learning and development. Career mentoring helps you to expand your network, gain knowledge, and increase skills.
- Circle Mentoring (Community Groups) - The Communities Marketplace is a networking platform that brings Coast Guard members with shared interests, professional goals, and life objectives together in one central and very diverse space. Here, you'll find a wide variety of communities to enrich your career development and establish strong professional relationships.
- Fresh Perspectives - Insight from Future Leaders: Traditional mentoring pairs senior leaders with more junior personnel. However, the new Coast Guard Mentoring Program is flipping the script by empowering emerging leaders to share their insights in a group setting with senior leadership. These groups will create an inclusive work environment, bridging gaps and eliminating generational barriers to help improve skills that will benefit the Coast Guard as a whole.
- Flash Mentoring - Flash Mentoring, or one-time/speed mentoring, allows mentees to achieve short-term objectives by receiving guidance on specific issues or topics from someone with expertise. This mentoring track helps participants learn job-related skills, gain cross-specialty knowledge, and build stronger networks with no ongoing time commitments!
Resources
- USCG Office of Leadership (CG-128) website
- Preview and bookmark the landing page for the new software to find out more info.
- Become of Mentor: Mentoring Toolkit
- Extra Credit: Take the eLearning Mentoring Course, search: mentoring
- Mentoring and the Leadership Competencies